For 1986 Planting, Innovation Comes In A Can

RENO, NEV. — You can look forward to a garden that`s easier, quicker, more successful

--and, yes, more fun--thanks to some new products that made their debuts at the recent Pacific Horticulture Trade Show in Reno.

Lightweight plastics continue to turn up in a multitude of useful tools;

they are durable, inexpensive and easy to handle. But at center stage this year are the old products in new wrappings as the manufacturers strive to catch the gardener`s eye with bold looks and imaginative containers.

Make that cans. The old fruit-cocktail-size can has found its way into the nursery trade, and much can be discovered with the help of a can opener. Not soup, but wildflower seeds, bulbs and fertilizer spikes are going into 5- ounce and 8-ounce cans.

``My can started it all,`` said Steve Atwood, who, in December, 1982, brought out the first Meadow in a Can, a tomato-juice-size can filled with 15 3/4 ounces of wildflower seeds, for his family-owned Clyde Robin Seed Co.

His second canned good, A Kid`s Garden in a Can, with seed packets and instructions for a children`s vegetable garden, followed in 1983.

For the 1986 market, look for Meadow in a Can Jr., a 9-ounce version of the original, priced about $9. It covers about 500 square feet with a dozen kinds of wildflowers and meadow grasses.

Not to be outdone, Applewood Seed Co., the Colorado-based company that is Clyde Robin`s biggest rival, has come up with a can of its own this year. Called Mini-Meadow, the 5-ounce mixtures of 16 kinds of wildflowers and two meadow grasses are keyed to certain growing conditions--dry mix, moist mix and low-growing and knee-high flowers. A container the size of a large tomato-sauce can will cover 350 square feet.

Enter Perry`s Plants. Known for their bedding plants, Perry`s turned to soup cans, added a pop-open beer top and filled the cans with Western wildflowers blended for specific areas. It`s their first venture into canned seeds.

``We see our wildflowers as a way to preserve America`s wildflower heritage and create a colorful display in your own yard,`` said Bob Woodward, a manager for the California-based company.

One can will cover 200 to 300 square feet with 20 Western wildflowers.

Jobe`s is the first chemical line to move into cans, now offering its new line of insecticide spikes with fertilizer in 1-pound cans. Different spikes are formulated for different uses--roses, trees, shrubs--with pre-measurered doses.

The application is the same as the Jobe`s fertilizer spike products. Tap it into the soil next to the plant, and the spike gradually releases a systemic insecticide that is absorbed by the roots and circulated through the plant to control certain pests.

``This is a new product, so Jobe`s figured it should have a new container idea,`` said Jim Hamilton, Jobe`s representative from Lexington, Ky.

What does a can have going for it over, say, an envelope of seeds or a box of fertilizer?

``Because they`re sealed, seeds in a can stay fresher longer and therefore germinate better. In simple terms, a can extends a product`s shelf life whether it`s seed or just about anything else,`` said Atwood of Clyde Robin. It`s gimmicky, but it`s also eye-catching and a good idea for gift-giving, he said.

There also is some thoughtful new packaging for some old standbys. The rooting hormone, RooTone, will show up this season in a new canary-yellow container. The Chacon chemical line is labeled with information and directions in lay language that nongardeners can understand more easily.

Best Plant Foods dreamed up the Lil` Jug, a 7 1/2-pound plastic container for its lawn and garden products that is easier to carry and easier to use. Miracle-Gro came up with the No-Clog Garden Feeder, which eliminates mixing and measuring. It is an improvement over the conventional hose-end sprayer because it requires no mixing, no measuring and no tubes to clog.

What they have in common is their simplicity in packaging and directions for the consumer.

``No matter how good a product is, it won`t do you any good if you can`t read the directions or figure out how to use it,`` said Jeff Matera, vice president and general manager for Chacon Chemical Corp. in southern California.

It`s good to see continued efforts being made toward this end because problems with dosage and directions for using chemical sprays and fertilizers always have been a headache.

Among other notable offerings at the Reno show, all of which should be available for the 1986 gardening season:

-- Turfmat: This bonded straw fiber mat lawn planting is one of the best ideas on view. It rolls out like a piece of carpet and you cut it apart with scissors. The seed is distributed between two layers of biodegradable paper, starter fertilizer and finely textured straw mulch, bonded together with water-soluble glue.

``This is an alternative to sodding or seeding a lawn,`` said James Donaldson of Modern Turf Products Inc., Fremont, Neb.

The biggest-selling variety nationally, he said, is crown vetch. There are also grown cover mats and a flower mat of a low-height wildflower mixture. -- Plastics: You name it, you can find it made in plastic--everything from lightweight, vinyl garden tools in the Suncast Corp. line to polymer posts and linked plastic chain to line driveways. Among the best of the new plastics: the PolyPlanter, a mini-hanging garden that is a self-contained growing system with detachable water collection bottle, by Amei Co. in National City. It will retail for $16 to $20.